Walking away from a full-time job (including medical & dental insurance, paid sick time, paid vacation time, paid holidays, the list goes on...) to pursue a career in an industry I was a complete newbie in, was the first time I decided to let my heart speak to me louder than the commentary of everyone else. It was a HUGE gamble to leave my role in the all too familiar American Dream (not to mention financial security!) to try something completely new, starting from the ground-up, and the idea seemed completely bonkers in the eyes of some of my co-workers, friends, and family members -- but to those who knew me well, it was clear that there was no turning back once I made up my mind to go for it.
My very first classes and workshops were made up of friends and family whom I am blessed to have in my life!! I will never forget the people who took time out of their lives to help support me in an unfamiliar dream I decided to pursue. Their comments and suggestions from the beginning have been immeasurable! A few have since admitted to not really being "into" yoga, and finding this out only made my smile beam brighter, because that means they came to my classes out of the goodness of their heart and for the opportunity to support me. Some of them even drove an hour in traffic after work to make it to my less-than-perfect classes during my first few months of teaching. Others were able to recruit (or perhaps bribe) friends of theirs to come take my class, just to help me have a few extra students.
I was also blessed with friends who took a gamble and lined up some of my first "outside of a fitness studio" gigs! To me, I will always appreciate these special friends who seriously went out on a limb for me (some without ever experiencing my teaching skills beforehand), they opened up their own workplace as a venue for me to share my gifts with others, trusting that my passion would shine through. I cannot begin to explain how deeply grateful I am for the trust and support that they provided me during the scariest year of my life, as a new yoga teacher!
I am forever grateful to have such kind and supportive spirits surrounding me. I will never forget my very first rookie-of-the-year teaching experiences, opportunities, and support from my very own cheering squad. I don't know that I have ever experienced this much love before in my entire life, and I don't know that I ever would have had I not chosen to follow my heart and quit my desk job. Without the gifts that I received, in various forms of kindness and trust, I would never have been able to teach the number of fantastic students I met along the way. I am such a lucky woman!
To my family & friends: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for everything you have done to help contribute to an AMAZING first year of teaching yoga to hundreds of students all over the state of Massachusetts!! Thank you for being there when I needed you most: on the other end of teary-eyed phone calls; times when only one person (or no one!) signed up for my class; when I was simultaneously panicking and excited about teaching a new age-group; when I taught my largest class ever and ran out of yoga mats; when I had days facing self-doubt and anxiety about not knowing if what I have to offer is "enough" -- You gave me confidence, hugs, feedback, encouragement, and most importantly the reassurance that I did not make a giant mistake by stepping out from my cubicle and into the real world to share my energy and passion with anyone and everyone! I promise that you will all be the first ones I fly to my exotic yoga retreats once I make it big!!
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